Gamesmanship or Crazy

Was waiting for a guy who was a few minutes late to a match so I was practicing serves on the court we were supposed to meet up on. The guy I'm playing with walks onto the court. Instead of grabbing his racket he starts yelling at the people playing doubles next to us that they should have stopped their point to let him walk through and they had bad etiquette. That argument lasted about 2-3 minutes. I was worried what this guy was gonna do.

Then in warmups he almost exclusively hit drop shots the entire time. I'd feed a ball, he'd slice a drop shot. Or he would feed, i'd hit, and he'd hit a drop shot.

After that fiasco he actually was a pretty nice and normal guy. He didn't hit all drop shots and I ended up winning 3&1 and he was gracious.

Was waiting for a guy who was a few minutes late to a match so I was practicing serves on the court we were supposed to meet up on. The guy I'm playing with walks onto the court. Instead of grabbing his racket he starts yelling at the people playing doubles next to us that they should have stopped their point to let him walk through and they had bad etiquette. That argument lasted about 2-3 minutes. I was worried what this guy was gonna do.

Then in warmups he almost exclusively hit drop shots the entire time. I'd feed a ball, he'd slice a drop shot. Or he would feed, i'd hit, and he'd hit a drop shot.

After that fiasco he actually was a pretty nice and normal guy. He didn't hit all drop shots and I ended up winning 3&1 and he was gracious.

So was it gamesmanship or is he nuts?

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Lol he sounds like more of an *******, than someone trying employ gamesmanship. I definitely played a guy who tried to use all the gamesmanship in the world. I played him last winter and because our division didn't have enough people in it, I ended up having to play him twice. He sliced every shot off both wings, never had a follow through or hit any top spin. He was really annoying to play against. I played him at his courts and he killed me like 1 and 3. So I played him again about a week later at my courts and thankfully I won in 3 sets, but I noticed just how hard he was trying with the gamesmanship. I remembered that when I lost to him he immediately said to me that I could serve first to start the match. So the second time around he tried it again and I said hey I started first last time, you go ahead and serve first this time. He seemed really skeptical, but he agreed. He would also take time to sit down on every change over.. Really annoying, like his way of the game down. I think you're only supposed to take like 2 minutes after odd games, and he would like take like 5 and then 7+ between sets... So anyway, I win the first set 6-3, and early in the second set I noticed that some people who had been playing on the courts next to us had just left. We were playing on the middle courts and on one side was a coach teaching lessons and the other had been two guys hitting around. So, I ask him if he wants to move to the empty court, this way out balls won't usually roll all the way over to where the coach is teaching a lesson. Initially he agrees so I grab my bag, and the he changes his mind and says no, let's stay here. So we play the second set and I lose it 3-6, after which point another lengthy sit down takes place. So as we're starting the 3rd set he tries to get me to serve first, but I remember distinctly that I served @ 3-5 in the second set and got broken. So I told him, I served the last game in the 2nd set and got broken, it's your serve. Again he seems really skeptical like I'm misleading him. Then just before we're about to start the 3rd set, he notices that the coach next to us just left so he finally suggests that we move over to that court....

Literally the most annoying person I've ever played against. He wasn't an ******* or unfriendly, it's just everything he did was seemingly some sort of gamesmanship. Like refusing to move courts because I suggested it, only once he suggested it was it okay... What the hell is that about?

Lol he sounds like more of an *******, than someone trying employ gamesmanship. I definitely played a guy who tried to use all the gamesmanship in the world. I played him last winter and because our division didn't have enough people in it, I ended up having to play him twice. He sliced every shot off both wings, never had a follow through or hit any top spin. He was really annoying to play against. I played him at his courts and he killed me like 1 and 3. So I played him again about a week later at my courts and thankfully I won in 3 sets, but I noticed just how hard he was trying with the gamesmanship. I remembered that when I lost to him he immediately said to me that I could serve first to start the match. So the second time around he tried it again and I said hey I started first last time, you go ahead and serve first this time. He seemed really skeptical, but he agreed. He would also take time to sit down on every change over.. Really annoying, like his way of the game down. I think you're only supposed to take like 2 minutes after odd games, and he would like take like 5 and then 7+ between sets... So anyway, I win the first set 6-3, and early in the second set I noticed that some people who had been playing on the courts next to us had just left. We were playing on the middle courts and on one side was a coach teaching lessons and the other had been two guys hitting around. So, I ask him if he wants to move to the empty court, this way out balls won't usually roll all the way over to where the coach is teaching a lesson. Initially he agrees so I grab my bag, and the he changes his mind and says no, let's stay here. So we play the second set and I lose it 3-6, after which point another lengthy sit down takes place. So as we're starting the 3rd set he tries to get me to serve first, but I remember distinctly that I served @ 3-5 in the second set and got broken. So I told him, I served the last game in the 2nd set and got broken, it's your serve. Again he seems really skeptical like I'm misleading him. Then just before we're about to start the 3rd set, he notices that the coach next to us just left so he finally suggests that we move over to that court....

Literally the most annoying person I've ever played against. He wasn't an ******* or unfriendly, it's just everything he did was seemingly some sort of gamesmanship. Like refusing to move courts because I suggested it, only once he suggested it was it okay... What the hell is that about?

Oh hell yes, I'll agree with that 100%. Sometimes it makes me wish I played another sport so I don't have to deal with so many weird people...

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There are extremes with tennis players. Either very friendly or completely weird it seems

And mikeler I just like Rafa's game, I don't pay attention to that stuff all that much. I like Fed and Djokovic too. Worshipping an athlete is odd to me, my name is b/c I registered during the AO final to chat with some tennis fans.

Another entertaining thread. rafafan20, maybe you're reading too much into it, maybe not. From your account, it seems like you're justifiably perplexed. With these sorts of situations one really has to have been there to witness the controversial behavior first hand. In that regard what matters is whether YOU think the guy was acting crazy or deliberately using gamesmanship. If the latter, then no problem, and the way to preclude any sour taste that that might leave is to just play as well as you can. Then, win or lose, you can walk away with a smile. Psychological gamesmanship is, after all, an integral part of any competitive activity. Learning how to best handle it is as much a part of tennis as learning good strokes.

On the other hand, if you believe the former (that he's maybe a bit off or unpredictably socially d**kish), but taking into account that you indicated you had a good match and that he was gracious in defeat, then just don't deal with him apart from tennis (and maybe make sure that you schedule future matches with him at times when the courts, preferably ones with metal detectors and full time armed security guards, are likely to be empty).

I played a guy that kept screaming at some kids for sitting on the nets at an adjacent court. I mean screaming, threatening to find their parents... One time I've got me head down getting ready to wind up for a serve and he just shrieks at them and then started chasing them around. And he screamed loudly after every one of his unforced errors.

Completely rattled me, and I don't think he was purposely gamesmanshipping me...he's just a nut.

There are lots of fruit cakes in tennis and you met another one. This sport has far more weird/uptight people than any other sport I have participated in.

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Ain't that the truth. I played team sports for years and was astonished at the lack of honesty and sportsmanship I encountered in competitive tennis. Some of the crap I've seen would get you a punch in the nose in a lot of places:shock:

Cheating on time, blatant on-court coaching (Challeg...... (uncle shakes his head in the crowd)... i meant VAMOS!), blatant violations of when he can step off the court (as in, if it ain't your serve, you don't leave. If you have to **** your pants from all that butt picking, too bad.), crying everytime conditions aren't exactly perfect for him, just to name a few.

Ok, back to OP's post, I think the dude is just a nut case. Drop-shotting in rallies is just a ******-bag move.

... I played team sports for years and was astonished at the lack of honesty and sportsmanship I encountered in competitive tennis.

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I agree with you pretty much at the rec/club level. A lot of these folks didn't participate in team sports when young and took up tennis primarily for social purposes. In the Senior Age Group tournaments, there's very little cheating or poor sportsmanship.